Adolescence is an overwhelmingly vulnerable time for children. They are growing up, starting school, and learning lessons that they will keep with them for the rest of their lives. They encounter teachers that will touch their lives and really make a difference. They will make precious memories that will spark friendships that they may keep throughout all of their schooling. As a result, elementary and middle school are essentially the most influential years of schooling, especially for me due to my attending St. Mary's School, a parochial school, from kindergarten through eighth grade.
St. Mary's was a small school of only about two hundred students total and only eighteen in my grade. When I tell people about my small school, most think that it must have been “awful” to have such a small class, but I completely disagree. I grew up with my peers and we became a family. If one mother could not run the carpool, another mother would compensate and take over for that day. If one student was sick, another student would make sure he/she got the work he/she missed, along with a bundle of get well cards. St. Mary’s School gave me something that a large public school could not- a sense of community.
St. Mary’s also provided me with a solid moral foundation. We had a strict principal, but she had a huge heart. She, as well as the rest of the faculty, instilled moral, disciplinary, and religious values in every student. We would pray once before school started, again before lunch, and lastly before dismissal. Discipline was big at St. Mary’s. We had a dress code that was strictly enforced with detentions for every violation. If a student disrupted a class, they were sent to “the bench”, which was a bench by the front office where the disobedient students could sit and think about what they did before having to deal with Mrs. Walsh, the principal. Some may see this as harsh, but the discipline at St. Mary’s proved to be positive in developing the character of their students. It gave me the foundation to be a kind, generous, and poised member of society.
I have many memories from St. Mary’s, but my most memorable one was the day of graduation. A few weeks before graduation day, my grade, as well as all the teachers, was asked to vote for a member of my class to receive the Marian Award, which was an honor given to a female student who illustrated academic excellence, kindness, and compassion. The winner was to be announced at graduation. I was convinced that the smartest girl in the class, Maria, was going to win. However, come graduation day, Mrs. Walsh was standing at the podium explaining what the award was. Following the explanation was my name and I was presented with the Marian Award. I felt so proud when everyone clapped; and I felt honored that teachers and my fellow classmates thought so highly of me. That moment will remain in my memories forever.
Teachers in elementary and middle school also leave a lasting impact on a student’s life. I was lucky enough to have my favorite teacher, Mrs. Voorhees, for both fourth grade and eighth grade. Mrs. Voorhees was an amazing teacher. She was down-to-earth, easy to relate to, kind, generous, funny, everything you could ask for in a teacher. She was diagnosed with cancer when I was in seventh grade. She had to take the year off to recover. We did not know if she would be coming back the following year. However, being the strong woman that she is, Mrs. Voorhees was back and better than ever for my last year at St. Mary’s. She not only taught me school lessons, but she taught me life lessons. She taught me that life is short and that we need to follow our dreams no matter what. She also taught me to never take matters of life too seriously and that there is always a bright side to every situation. She is one of the most influential people I have ever met, and has played an enormous role in molding me into the person I am today.
In conclusion, environments, memories, and teachers all play huge roles in developing students at such a young age. Without the right role models, such as my teachers at St. Mary's, students will not live up to their full potential- both socially and academically. It is important for children to start off their schooling right in order to continue on successfully later in their education.
EDC102H
9/23/12
Early Schooling
Adolescence is an overwhelmingly vulnerable time for children. They are growing up, starting school, and learning lessons that they will keep with them for the rest of their lives. They encounter teachers that will touch their lives and really make a difference. They will make precious memories that will spark friendships that they may keep throughout all of their schooling. As a result, elementary and middle school are essentially the most influential years of schooling, especially for me due to my attending St. Mary's School, a parochial school, from kindergarten through eighth grade.
St. Mary's was a small school of only about two hundred students total and only eighteen in my grade. When I tell people about my small school, most think that it must have been “awful” to have such a small class, but I completely disagree. I grew up with my peers and we became a family. If one mother could not run the carpool, another mother would compensate and take over for that day. If one student was sick, another student would make sure he/she got the work he/she missed, along with a bundle of get well cards. St. Mary’s School gave me something that a large public school could not- a sense of community.
St. Mary’s also provided me with a solid moral foundation. We had a strict principal, but she had a huge heart. She, as well as the rest of the faculty, instilled moral, disciplinary, and religious values in every student. We would pray once before school started, again before lunch, and lastly before dismissal. Discipline was big at St. Mary’s. We had a dress code that was strictly enforced with detentions for every violation. If a student disrupted a class, they were sent to “the bench”, which was a bench by the front office where the disobedient students could sit and think about what they did before having to deal with Mrs. Walsh, the principal. Some may see this as harsh, but the discipline at St. Mary’s proved to be positive in developing the character of their students. It gave me the foundation to be a kind, generous, and poised member of society.
I have many memories from St. Mary’s, but my most memorable one was the day of graduation. A few weeks before graduation day, my grade, as well as all the teachers, was asked to vote for a member of my class to receive the Marian Award, which was an honor given to a female student who illustrated academic excellence, kindness, and compassion. The winner was to be announced at graduation. I was convinced that the smartest girl in the class, Maria, was going to win. However, come graduation day, Mrs. Walsh was standing at the podium explaining what the award was. Following the explanation was my name and I was presented with the Marian Award. I felt so proud when everyone clapped; and I felt honored that teachers and my fellow classmates thought so highly of me. That moment will remain in my memories forever.
Teachers in elementary and middle school also leave a lasting impact on a student’s life. I was lucky enough to have my favorite teacher, Mrs. Voorhees, for both fourth grade and eighth grade. Mrs. Voorhees was an amazing teacher. She was down-to-earth, easy to relate to, kind, generous, funny, everything you could ask for in a teacher. She was diagnosed with cancer when I was in seventh grade. She had to take the year off to recover. We did not know if she would be coming back the following year. However, being the strong woman that she is, Mrs. Voorhees was back and better than ever for my last year at St. Mary’s. She not only taught me school lessons, but she taught me life lessons. She taught me that life is short and that we need to follow our dreams no matter what. She also taught me to never take matters of life too seriously and that there is always a bright side to every situation. She is one of the most influential people I have ever met, and has played an enormous role in molding me into the person I am today.
In conclusion, environments, memories, and teachers all play huge roles in developing students at such a young age. Without the right role models, such as my teachers at St. Mary's, students will not live up to their full potential- both socially and academically. It is important for children to start off their schooling right in order to continue on successfully later in their education.